Cleetus McFarland, known off-track as Garrett Mitchell, is heading into his NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series debut at Rockingham this weekend amid growing scrutiny over his rise. The YouTuber-turned-driver addressed the criticism and made it clear that he was not backing away from the spotlight.

McFarland’s entry into NASCAR has been anything but quiet. His Truck Series debut at Daytona drew massive attention, not just for his presence but for his crash just four laps into the race. It sparked a debate in the garage about NASCAR’s approval process. Critics, including veterans like Kyle Petty, questioned his involvement in the national series with limited stock car experience.

At the same time, McFarland’s impact is difficult to ignore. He comes from a different background of burnouts, drag racing, off-road builds, and content creation. He runs events at his own Freedom Factory short track in Florida and has built a massive audience that follows him into whatever he does next. It led to a 37% viewership spike at the Daytona Truck race, adding weight to his inclusion.

Cleetus McFarland, who recently signed a two-year part-time O’Reilly deal with Richard Childress Racing, admitted ahead of Rockingham that he was fully aware of the noise around him.

“I’m pretty in tune with what’s going on in the social media world. This is my job. My job is probably more similar to yours, than closer to the drivers. Like, I am a social media guy. That’s how I got in this position. So I see it a lot,” he told in an interview with Bob Pockrass.

McFarland also acknowledged that the Daytona crash affected him initially, but made it clear that he has moved on.

“Closer to Daytona, when I had the big screw up in the truck, I was feeling a little down on myself about that. At this point, the record is so broken, and people still talking about it. I don’t care as much. At the end of the day, all these guys can say whatever they want about me. But if Richard Childress called them and said, ‘hey, you want to come drive our car’, all of them would have taken that opportunity to. And if NASCAR is letting me do it, I’m in.”

Then came his most direct response to critics questioning his place in the sport:

“I’m here, and no one can save me by myself at this point. Once I get on that track on Saturday, it’s up to me. So, they can complain as much as they’d like, but it’s happening. And so they better buckle up.”

The criticism has come from multiple corners – from spotters to crew chiefs – with concerns centered on whether social media reach is becoming a shortcut into top-tier opportunities. Even so, Cleetus McFarland remains confident.

Cleetus McFarland’s early NASCAR run shows steep learning curve

Cleetus McFarland’s national-level résumé is still in its early stages. He made five ARCA Menards Series starts in 2025, showing flashes with competitive runs at superspeedways. Daytona this year was a mixed bag, a short-lived Truck debut followed by a more stable 11th-place finish in the ARCA race the next day.

Since then, the focus has been on improvement. Testing at Rockingham hasn’t been perfect either, with another spin during a high-speed session for the O’Reilly debut, but McFarland kept the car intact. What stands out is how he is approaching the learning process.

“I kind of have to collectively listen to everybody. What I definitely listened to the most is when we looked at Jesse’s (Love) data, that’s kind of the most definitive advice you could get,” he explained in the interview.

Cleetus McFarland is actively pulling input from experienced drivers and data:

“Ty (Dillon) said, hey, ‘let’s tighten the car up and try this’ and I tried it. Then Denny (Hamlin) said, let’s loosen the car up… and I ended up liking the car looser… The proof was in the pudding when the car felt the most comfortable and was turning the best lap times. So, that’s what I’m going off of.”

That mindset will be tested soon enough. Cleetus McFarland is set to make his O’Reilly Auto Parts Series debut at Rockingham on April 4, in the No. 33 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing.